MORNING REPORT

September 07, 1993|SHAUNA SNOW | Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press

MOVIES

* Capping a Record Season: "The Fugitive" captured the No. 1 box-office spot over the holiday weekend, racing far ahead of the pack for the fifth straight week to cap a record-breaking movie-going summer. According to early estimates Monday, "The Fugitive" earned $17 million at North American theaters for the four-day Labor Day weekend. In second place was Mel Gibson's "The Man Without a Face," which drew an estimated $5.2 million, followed by Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Hard Target" with about $4.4 million, and Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" taking in about $4.1 million for a monster accumulation of $315 million through its 13th week of release. The futuristic thriller "Fortress" premiered with a strong estimated $4 million, tying with the thriller "Needful Things" for the fifth spot. "Boxing Helena," the much-publicized film about an obsessed man who cuts off the arms and legs of the woman he loves, premiered over the weekend with a lackluster $800,000 in estimated receipts. Industry sources say the weekend will bring in about $150 million, taking the season gross above $2.2 billion and surpassing the 1989 record of $1.99 billion. Final box-office figures will be released today.

* More on 'Jurassic': "Jurassic Park" is so popular in Poland it has brought ticket scalpers back from extinction. President Lech Walesa and Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka attended last week's Polish premiere of the blockbuster, and since then, the six Warsaw theaters featuring the production have filled to capacity. One cinema already has 11 showings each day and is adding an 8:15 a.m. show. Tickets, selling for 30,000 to 40,000 zlotys ($1.50 to $2) each, are in such demand that scalpers are asking 150,000 zlotys ($7.50). Scalpers did brisk business at Polish theaters in the 1970s and early '80s before VCRs drove them out of business.

For the Record Los Angeles Times Thursday September 9, 1993 Home Edition Calendar Part F Page 7 Column 1 Entertainment Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction Order transposed-- The order of three of the Top 10 grossing movies for the Labor Day weekend was transposed in Tuesday's Calendar. The rankings should be: "Needful Things" No. 5; "Fortress," No. 6; and "The Secret Garden," No. 7.

TV/VIDEO

* Adults-Only Fare: British comedian turned Hollywood film star Dudley Moore returned to more humble roots Monday for the launch of a comic video with his old partner, Peter Cook. But the adults-only video, based on their risque 1970s act "Derek and Clive," is considered so offensive that even at the video's London launch party it was run with the sound turned down so as not to offend guests. "A lot of people have tried to have this banned because it's obscene, rude and not at all politically correct," said a spokeswoman for video producers Polygram. The video "Get the Horn" is based on the duo's 1978 film, which was never released because it was considered too obscene, although bootleg videos of the show have been available as well as records of the act. "It could never have appeared on television. They recorded it for their own fun and although a lot of fans have heard about the film, they've not been able to see it," the spokeswoman said.

* 'Morning Show' Premiere: "The Morning Show," an hourlong live talk show featuring a mix of celebrity interviews, features and looks at various places and events around the Southland, premieres on KTLA-TV Channel 5 today at 9 a.m. The show is hosted by Carlos Amezcua, Barbara Beck, Mark Kriski and Sam Rubin from the station's highly rated 7-9 a.m. newscast. Today's guests include John Larroquette, Tommy Tune and Los Angeles Laker forward James Worthy. KTLA had planned to unveil a morning talk show earlier this summer, but it was postponed due to format revisions.

* Calling All Barney Haters: Parents who catch themselves inventing venomous verses--such as "I hate you, you hate me, let's hang Barney from a tree"--about the purple dinosaur and object of their preschool child's squealing adoration can now join the club. It's called the I Hate Barney Secret Society. Founded by Robert Curran, a Florida advertising salesman whose 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Michelle-Christine, is "an extreme Barney fan, if not an addict," the club began as a joking neighborhood newsletter that struck some raw nerves. "There's a thin line between satire and hatred," said Curran, who asks for 50 cents and a stamped, self-addressed envelope from parents wanting to join his club, which carries the motto "You don't have to tell your kids you belong." The address: The I Hate Barney Secret Society, 10071 S.W. 17th Court, Davie, Fla. 33324.

* Soap Bubbles: Veteran soap star Nicolas Coster, who last appeared as Lionel Lockridge on "Santa Barbara," has signed on to "As the World Turns," where he will play Eduardo Grimaldi, cousin of Damian Grimaldi, beginning in November. Coster, who appeared on the same soap in 1966 in the role of John Eldridge, has also appeared on "Young Dr. Malone" (1962-63), "The Secret Storm" (1964, 1968-69), "Somerset" (1970-72), "Another World" (1972, 1976-80) and "One Life to Live" (1983-84). . . . Longtime "Young and the Restless" star Doug Davidson (Detective Paul Williams) has been signed to host a new nighttime syndicated version of "The Price Is Right," scheduled to premiere in the fall of 1994. . . . Michael Sabatino will have no rest after leaving his "Days of Our Lives" role as Lawrence Alamain. He goes directly to "The Bold and the Beautiful" in mid-October, where he will play a world-famous fashion designer.